A British woman has been killed in a landslide on the holiday island of Santa Cruz near Tenerife, the Foreign Office has confirmed today. Marion Auril O'Hara, 57, and a 34-year-old local woman died when a 40-metre (130-foot) stretch of cliff collapsed onto a small beach at Playa de los Gigantes close to the western tip of the island off the northwest coast of Africa.
The accident happened just before 4 pm local time on Sunday regarding to local officals and news sources. Local officials said good weather had attracted lots of people to the narrow sunny beach, which is known for its imposing west-facing cliff, just north of the marina resort of Los Gigantes.
At first around six people were feared trapped and 150 rescue workers spent more than four hours digging with picks and shovels to rescue people on the beach. But after sniffer dogs failed to find any trace the search was scaled down.
A senior Civil Guard officer said to news sources: "We now believe that these two women were the only victims." A British holidaymaker told Sky News that the area was known to be dangerous regarding to sky news.
Howard Williams told the sky news "Police were aware the cliff was dangerous for days, but the only thing they put in place was a bit of builder's tape." The Foreign Office said it was providing consular support to Ms O'Hara's family and was working with local authorities. The second person killed was a 34-year-old woman who lived in the south of the island.
Six people were trapped underneath the rocks, with two women a Briton and a Spaniard were pulled dead from the rocks while the rest remain missing. The beach on the coast area known as Los Gigantes is located beneath a rockface. According to the internet edition of the daily La Opinion de Tenerife, falling rock as large as five metres thick fell 50 metres to the beach.
About 150 rescue workers including police, firefighters and Red Cross workers were called to help with the rescue effort. Several people suffering panic attacks were treated by paramedics at the scene. Officials insisted there had been warning buoys and signs outlining the dangers at the scene of last month's landslide.
